1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a contents processing system, a charging system and so on which permit harmony to be established between the protection and use of contents protected by portrait rights, copyrights, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Processing and editing various contents, for example, image data, and outputting them as hard copies from color printers, etc. are becoming possible due to the progress of a digital image processing technology.
However, if the processing, editing and outputting of the contents are allowed without order, copyrights and portrait rights are not protected, and the advantages of the proprietors of the rights will be detracted.
On the other hand, if the use of these contents is extremely limited, the contents will not be utilized.
Furthermore, although the contents are to be protected by copyrights and portrait rights, the right for the private and diversional use of the contents is ensured within certain limits. Therefore, the private use of the contents needs to be allowed to some degree.
In order to satisfy these requirements, a technique such as digital watermarking has also been proposed. However, the processing of data is complicated, and a complex system is required. Moreover, a system which performs data processing such as digital watermarking or the like has to be a dedicated system structured for the purpose of performing normally the processing. Due to this, from the point of view of a user who is not well acquainted with a data processing technique, the system is not easy to use.